Pre-competition expectation profiles among junior athletes in the context of altered sporting conditions

Abstract

The primary aim of this research was to empirically examine and substantiate the of various pre-competition expectations exhibited by junior athletes, particularly in light of altering conditions within a sporting contest.The study involved a cohort of adolescents (n=267) (Мe=16; М=16.32; SD=±1.71). The participants were representatives of team sports such as football and volleyball, as well as individual sports such as artistic gymnastics and track and field. The empirical investigation focused on junior athletes enrolled in an educational training course at two sports schools: “LSSCY Enerhetyk” in Lviv, Ukraine and “SSSYOR №1” in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine. Methods. Psychodiagnostic tools were employed to gauge the content parameters of both expectations and the concept of a safe competition space. Standard coefficients were applied to discern statistically significant correlations within the collected data. The categorization of pre-competition expectations was accomplished through the application of k-means clustering. Results. This research established statistically significant correlations cognitive, emotional and behavioral components of psychological safety and expectation parameters underscoring the pivotal influence of both the competition space and pre-competition expectations on actual competitive performance. The delineation of five distinct precompetition expectation types emerged: real (RTE), active analytical (AATE), moderate (MTE), passive moderate (PMTE) and unreal (UTE). The findings provided robust evidence supporting that RTE, AATE and MTE constitute favorable expectation types, contributing positively to desired outcomes. In contrast, PMTE and UTE were identified as negative types, exhibiting a detrimental impact on achieving desirable results. Notably, the study demonstrated and substantiated the heightened risk associated with PMTE establishing it as the most perilous type of expectation for athletes engaged in competitive activities. Discussion and conclusions. This study revealed a significant negative correlation, particularly the cognitive component of psychological safety (CC), with expected status (ESA). This finding underscores the increased risk associated with this psychological configuration because it promotes a closed convergent position with subsequent distancing. Such a psychological state, coupled with a diminished awareness of competition activity (ACA), consistently leads to tactical errors in both offensive and defensive actions among athletes. These errors, in turn, disrupt team interaction and hinder the execution of a game plan. It was generalized that the identified precompetition expectation types among junior athletes, especially under altering sporting conditions, carry a distinctive scientific novelty. Moreover, these findings can be practically operationalized in the realm of educational training preparation.